Cell phones

 Larry Cuban -  Last year, a study by Common Sense Media found that 97 percent of teenagers used cellphones during the school day. A study released in April by the Pew Research Center found that 72 percent of U.S. high school teachers and 33 percent of middle school teachers said cellphone distractions were a major problem in classrooms.

Last year, Florida passed a law requiring public school districts to bar students from using cellphones during class time, and some districts banned cellphones for the entire school day. Indiana approved a similar law this spring that will require districts to ban portable wireless devices in classrooms starting in the upcoming school year, with exceptions for emergencies.

Tuesday’s vote by the Los Angeles Unified School District board to set in motion a smartphone ban would affect more than a half-million students at more than 1,400 schools.... Nick Melvoin, one of the board members sponsoring the proposal, said the district was helping to lead a national movement. “When the government put warning labels on cigarettes nearly 60 years ago, 42 percent of adults in this country smoked. Now it’s down to about 11 percent,” he said. “I think we’re going to be on the vanguard here, and students and this entire city and country are going to benefit as a result.”